Persuade

Transform your ability to persuade and negotiate with this practical new resource

In Persuade: The 4-Step Process to Influence People and Decisions, accomplished sales, negotiation, and influence experts Andres Lares, Jeff Cochran, and Shaun Digan PhD deliver a concise and insightful take on how to transform your ability to persuade others regardless of the setting.

In this important book you'll discover:

• Original research and scientific studies shedding light on the human decision-making processes that drive success and failure in virtually all interactions
• Real world examples and practical exercises to illustrate and practice the concepts discussed
• A fun yet rigorous approach of a complex subject that can be practically applied in any business situation

Persuade is perfect for executives, managers, entrepreneurs, and other business leaders and will earn a place in the libraries of any professional who negotiates or influences on a regular basis. It is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to improve their persuasion or deal-making abilities.

1 The Art of Influence and Persuasion 1

Ethics of Influencing 3

The Tenets of Ethical Principles 3

The Influence and Persuasion Process 4

2 Building Credibility 9

Credibility: Trust and Expertise 10

Building Trust 11

Establishing Expertise 19

The Influencer’s Toolbox 23

Borrowing Credibility 23

Show Vulnerability 27

Become a Trusted Advisor 30

Putting It All Together 34

3 Engaging Emotion 37

The Linda Problem 37

Emotions 39

Achievement 40

Fear 40

Obligation 41

The Influencer’s Toolbox 44

Managing Emotions 44

Storytelling 47

Scripting 50

Mirroring 58

Putting It All Together 68

4 Demonstrating Logic 71

Logic and Rational Decisions 72

The Rational Decision-Making Model 73

The Weighted Criteria Matrix 74

The Role of Prior Belief in Reasoning 77

The Three Steps in Demonstrating Logic to Persuade Others 82

The Influencer’s Toolbox 95

Framing 95

Anchoring 98

Features, Advantages, and Benefits 104

Putting It All Together 108

5 Facilitating Action 111

Facilitating Action 111

Types of Closes 113

Soft Closes: Asking Questions to Yes 114

Hard Closes: Making the Ask 118

Creating a Sense of Urgency 120

After the Close 121

The Influencer’s Toolbox 122

Getting the Small Yes 122

Providing Options 126

Creating a Safety Net 132

Putting It All Together 133

6 Time and Place 135

The When and the Where 135

The Right Time 136

The Right Place 139

The Right Audience 141

The Influencer’s Toolbox 143

The Empathy Gap 143

Happy Endings 145

Putting It All Together 145

7 Body Language 147

Reading and Understanding Body Language 147

Posture 148

Gestures 152

Facial Expressions 154

Awareness of Cultural Differences 161

Body Language for Virtual Selling Environments 162

The Influencer’s Toolbox 164

Making a First Impression 164

Body Language as a Tool for Managing Your Own Emotions 165

Body Language as a Tool for Managing the Emotions of Others 167

Putting It All Together 172

8 Personality 175

Characteristics, Traits, and Types 175

Measuring Your Personality Traits 176

The Big Five Personality Traits 177

Altercasting 182

Personality Type Assessments 183

Influencer’s Toolbox 187

Identifying with the Traits 187

Influencing with the Traits 188

Putting It All Together 190

9 Putting It All Together 193

A Closer Look at the Four-Step Process 194

Building Credibility 194

Engaging Emotion 195

Demonstrating Logic 195

Facilitating Action 196

Time and Place 196

Beyond the Four-Step Process 196

Appendix 1: A Study of Decision Makers’ Decision Making 199

Methods and Analysis 199

Sample and Instrument 199

Analysis and Results 201

Summary of Hypotheses under Consideration 219

Discussion 219

Appendix 2: 50 Question Big Five Personality Traits Assessment 221

End Notes 223

Recommended Reading 229

Acknowledgments 231

About the Authors 233

Index 235

ANDRES LARES is Managing Partner at the Shapiro Negotiation Institute and an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University. His professional focus is on coaching clients in the areas of sales, negotiation, and influencing, especially within sports and Fortune 500 organizations. Andres’ expertise in the field has led to being featured in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, CNBC, FOX, and Entrepreneur, and guest lecturing at universities all over the world.

JEFF COCHRAN is one of the most sought-after negotiation speakers and trainers in the world. He has delivered high-impact sessions in over 20 countries to tens of thousands of professionals as part of customized in-house training and as a speaker at global conferences. In both cases, he has won countless awards and been rated the best speaker of international events.

SHAUN DIGAN is a writer who has run a company and studied business —with an MBA and PhD—and taught in the field. As a result, Shaun brings a unique perspective to persuasion along with an academic rigor to this book.

When selling, buying, negotiating, or communicating in business and in life we aim to achieve our objectives without making the other party feel used or exploited. And while there are many excellent books on these topics, none examine the common mechanisms that determine how humans make decisions, and, as a result, the persuasion techniques that could be associated with this process.

In Persuade, negotiation experts and authors, Andres Lares, Jeff Cochran, and Shaun Digan, deliver a unique combination of original research, scientific studies, real-world examples, and practical exercises. The book is a fun and insightful read that is simultaneously authoritative, rigorous, and credible.

The accomplished authors offer readers an in-depth, up-to-date, and scientific book written in an accessible and commonsense manner. It empowers readers with an easy-to-use, 4-step process that delivers on its promise to revolutionize the way readers will persuade, negotiate, and generally communicate with other people.

Persuade will teach you how and why people make decisions and give you the tools to improve your ability to influence others with confidence, integrity, and success.

Much like the authors’ corporate training, Persuade will become the go-to resource for executives, managers, entrepreneurs, salespeople, and other business leaders who seek to strengthen their communication abilities and improve their professional performance.